Roger Goodell To Fine Jerry Jones?
Jerry Jones‘ extensive 2017 fight against Roger Goodell about his contract extension looks like it will cost him. Ken Belson of the New York Times reports the commissioner is preparing to fine the Cowboys owner “millions of dollars” for what Goodell deemed an act of sabotage by Jones in attempting derail his extension last year. That and Jones’ ongoing defense of Ezekiel Elliott will lead to this punishment, several sources informed Belson.
This fine will exceed $2MM, Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter). As Mike Florio of PFT notes, the NFL’s Constitution and Bylaws stipulates that the commissioner cannot fine more than $500K for conduct detrimental to the league. However, the NFL is not technically fining Jones, per veteran reporter Ed Werder (Twitter link). Instead, the league is seeking repayment for approximately $2MM in legal expenses relative to his threats to sue the league.Goodell was initially reluctant to take action, but the NFL Finance Committee and other owners are in support of this plan.
Jones threatened to sue the NFL last year over a matter he said stemmed over Goodell’s contract. He hired an attorney and was prepared to sue the six members of the league’s compensation committee in November, and Belson reports the owner attempted to influence NFL officials during Elliott’s case. Belson reports Jones will be ordered to pay the legal fees the compensation committee spent defending itself as well as the legal expenses the NFL spent “defending its decision to suspend Elliott.”
Goodell’s contract went through, with Elliott serving the six-game suspension that Jones and the NFLPA vigorously fought for months. This extensive process left Jones — who once supported a Goodell extension — at intense odds with the commissioner and the Arthur Blank-chaired compensation committee. And this action — foreshadowed, to some degree, late last year — by the league likely won’t quell the animosity any time soon.
Cowboys Not Expected To Re-Sign Anthony Hitchens?
The Cowboys have a number of objectives this offseason, but they will certainly prioritize signing Zack Martin and Demarcus Lawrence to long-term deals. Lawrence will get hit with the franchise tag at some point prior to the March 6 deadline, which will give the two sides until July 16 to work out a multi-year contract. Martin, meanwhile, is still under club control through the 2018 season, but Dallas has been talking about extending him for some time now.
Anthony Hitchens, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent in a couple of weeks, is not the same caliber of player as Lawrence and Martin. However, he is a quality linebacker who will surely generate plenty of interest on the open market, and neither David Moore of the Dallas Morning News nor Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram believe the Cowboys will be able to retain him.
Both scribes point to recent comments from executive VP Stephen Jones to suggest that Hitchens will not be in Dallas next season. Jones said of Hitchens, “I can’t say enough good things about him. He’s one of those guys who is available. You can count on him. He understands this game is a tough game. He put himself in harm’s way out there when a lot of players wouldn’t do it. He’s the type of guy you want on your football team … At the same time, we all know he’s not the ‘quote, unquote’ Pro Bowl football player. He’s not the guy who’s getting all the accolades but he’s the type of guy you want on your football team so it does make it hard.”
Hill believes that, if Hitchens wants to stay in Dallas, he will have to take a team-friendly deal and turn down more money elsewhere. After all, the Cowboys have just $19MM in cap room at the moment, while other potentially interested teams — like the Colts — are considerably more flush.
Former Dallas LBs coach Matt Eberflus was recently named the Colts’ new defensive coordinator, and Hill believes a Colts-Hitchens union makes perfect sense. Indeed, Indianapolis will be moving from a 3-4 scheme to a 4-3 under Eberflus, and Hitchens would help the team make that transition.
Assuming Hitchens does leave, Hill says Dallas will need to prioritize the linebacker position in the draft, but as the 2018 draft class is rife with quality LB prospects, the Cowboys should be able to adequately replace Hitchens’ production.
Dez Bryant Discusses Contract Situation
There have been recent rumblings that the Cowboys could approach Dez Bryant about taking a pay cut. Appearing on the Ben and Skin radio show on 105.3 The Fan, the wideout said the organization hasn’t yet approached him about his contract.
“I just think it’s crazy,” Bryant said (via Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram). “I’ll be straight up honest. I think everything I’ve got, I deserve it. And I can get into way more details with that, but I’ll leave that up to when it’s time for me to sit down and talk with the Joneses – whenever that is.”
After signing a five-year, $75MM deal back in 2015, Bryant is set to earn a $12.5MM base salary next season. He’ll also have a $16.5MM cap hit in 2018, the third-highest mark among wide receivers.
Bryant made it clear that he wants to stick around Dallas, and he admitted that he was frustrated with a lackluster 2017 campaign. The 29-year-old did play in 16 games for the first time since 2014, but he only hauled in 69 receptions for 828 yards (leading to a career-low 12.1 yards per reception) and six touchdowns.
This isn’t the first time Bryant has addressed his contract situation. Back in December, the receiver said he had no interest in taking a pay cut. However, the organization will surely consider the move, and Director of Player Personnel Stephen Jones said those conversations are coming.
“No one wants to compete and get after it more than Dez,” Jones said. “At the same time, we all know this is a business where everybody has to be accountable. Certainly, everybody knows that. That’s a tough one. Certainly, we’re going to be grinding it out and trying to determine what is in the best interest of our business.
“Dez understands this is a business. No one thinks more of Dez Bryant than, starting at the top, Jerry, and certainly me, his teammates, coach [Jason] Garrett, Will McClay. We all have a tremendous amount of respect for Dez. That’s one of the things that we’re going to have to work through as we move into our future.”
Cowboys Interviewed Bobby Johnson
- Bobby Johnson interviewed for the Raiders’ HC job, although it might not have been the most on-the-level meeting since a Jon Gruden deal was reportedly already agreed upon. But the former Raiders tight ends coach now has a gig elsewhere. The Colts hired Johnson as their assistant offensive line coach, Alex Marvez of Sporting News reports. Johnson spent the past three seasons on Jack Del Rio‘s staff as Oakland’s TEs coach and spent time on the Jags’ and Bills’ staffs prior to that. Johnson will be working under Dave DeGuglielmo, who was caught in a tough spot when he agreed to terms with Indianapolis when Josh McDaniels was still set to become head coach. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter) Johnson also interviewed to be the Cowboys‘ O-line coach.
NFL Awards Compensatory Picks To 15 Teams
The NFL has awarded 15 compensatory draft picks to teams, as directed by the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The compensatory pick system provides additional picks to teams who lose more/better qualifying free agents in the previous year than gained.
This year, the 32 comp picks were dispersed to 15 different teams. Here is the complete rundown:
Round 3
- No. 97 overall – Cardinals
- No. 98 overall – Texans
- No. 99 overall – Broncos
- No. 100 overall – Bengals
Round 4
- No. 133 overall – Packers
- No. 134 overall – Cardinals
- No. 135 overall – Giants
- No. 136 overall – Patriots
- No. 137 overall – Cowboys
Round 5
- No. 170 overall – Bengals
- No. 171 overall – Cowboys
- No. 172 overall – Packers
- No. 173 overall – Cowboys
- No. 174 overall – Packers
Round 6
- No. 207 overall – Packers
- No. 208 overall – Cowboys
- No. 209 overall – Chiefs
- No. 210 overall – Raiders
- No. 211 overall – Texans
- No. 212 overall – Raiders
- No. 213 overall – Vikings
- No. 214 overall – Texans
- No. 215 overall – Ravens
- No. 216 overall – Raiders
- No. 217 overall – Raiders
- No. 218 overall – Vikings
Round 7
- No. 251 overall – Chargers
- No. 252 overall – Bengals
- No. 253 overall – Bengals
- No. 254 overall – Cardinals
- No. 255 overall – Buccaneers
- No. 256 overall – Falcons
The Bengals, Cowboys, Packers and Raiders lead the way in comp picks this year with four. The Cardinals and Texans each snagged three, the Vikings own two, and the Falcons, Ravens, Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, Patriots, Giants, and Buccaneers each have one.
Cowboys To Tag Demarcus Lawrence
The Cowboys are not planning to let Demarcus Lawrence test free agency after his breakout season.
They will not place the franchise tag on the fifth-year defensive end on Tuesday — the first day teams can do so — but do plan to by March 6 (the last day this option is on the table for teams), David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports (on Twitter). Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones confirmed Dallas will deploy the tender if necessary, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com.
The sides will then begin negotiations toward a long-term deal and have until July 16 to do so. This will take one of the top UFAs off the market. A defensive end tag will cost the Cowboys $17.5MM. Without Lawrence on their 2018 books, the Cowboys are projected to enter the ’18 league year with $19.1MM in cap space. They will have to do a bit of work to create more in order to be a player in free agency.
Lawrence was not expected to head there after his Pro Bowl campaign. The Cowboys were set to begin negotiations this month with their former second-round pick and have established retaining him as their top offseason priority.
After an inconsistent first three seasons featuring injuries and a suspension, Lawrence dominated in his contract year by registering 14.5 sacks. He picked up 7.5 in the Cowboys’ first three games and collected at least one sack in each of Dallas’ first seven contests, doing so for a team that’s been in search of edge help since cutting DeMarcus Ware after the 2013 season. Dallas essentially drafted Lawrence to replace Ware and now intends to pay him in hopes of the sides establishing a long-term Cowboys partnership like the franchise had with Ware.
Cowboys' Demarcus Lawrence Wants $17MM/Year?
The Cowboys have yet to talk to DeMarcus Lawrence’s agent about an extension, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). They are expected to meet with Lawrence’s agent, David Canter, at the combine, but they may experience some sticker shock when they happens.
Cowboys Hire Ken Amato
- The Cowboys have hired Ken Amato as a defensive assistant, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Amato, who spent nine years with the Titans as a long snapper, worked with Dallas as a special teams assistant in 2017.
2018 NFL Franchise Tag Candidates
Starting today, NFL teams will be able to place franchise and transition tags on potential free agents for the first time. While the window for franchise tags is open, most clubs won’t actually tag any players right away.
As our list of important dates for the 2018 offseason shows, the deadline for teams to assign those tags doesn’t come until Tuesday, March 6. Usually, when it comes to NFL contract discussions, deadlines spur action, so teams will wait until that deadline approaches to officially use franchise tags, once it becomes clear that they won’t be able to strike a longer-term deal yet with their respective free-agents-to-be.
Even though the action might not heat up for a couple more weeks, it’s worth taking a closer look at what to expect during 2018’s franchise tag period. The NFL hasn’t officially announced the salary cap figure for 2017, but OverTheCap.com recently projected the 2018 franchise tag salaries based on a presumed $178MM cap. Here are the expected non-exclusive franchise tag amounts:
- Quarterback: $23.09MM
- Running back: $11.72MM
- Wide receiver: $16.23MM
- Tight end: $10.36MM
- Offensive line: $14.54MM
- Defensive end: $17.52MM
- Defensive tackle: $14.53MM
- Linebacker: $15.47MM
- Cornerback: $14.88MM
- Safety: $11.08MM
- Punter/kicker: $5.06MM
(For a refresher on the characteristics of the exclusive and non-exclusive franchise tags, as well as the transition tag, be sure to check out PFR’s glossary entry on the subject.)
Here’s our look at the most likely candidates to be tagged, along with several more outside possibilities:
Virtual Locks:
- Le’Veon Bell, RB, Steelers: Last offseason, things got pretty weird between the Steelers and Bell. Just before the deadline to extend franchise tagged players, the Steelers believed that they had agreed on a five-year offer worth roughly $60MM. Ultimately, Bell backed out because he did not find the guarantees and cash flow to be to his liking. Soon after, friend and former teammate Ike Taylor said that Bell wanted a contract that reflects his performance as both a No. 1 back and a No. 2 receiver – something in the neighborhood of $15MM per year.
This year, Bell topped his 75 catch total with 85 grabs, so one has to imagine that his position hasn’t changed. Despite some retirement threats in January, Bell has indicated that talks are going better this time around. Here’s where things get interesting – the Steelers say that today (Feb. 20) is the “deadline” for a long-term deal to get signed. If not, they’ll go ahead and franchise tag him for a second consecutive season, leaving Bell with a one-year, $14.5MM pact when factoring in the 20% increase. Will Bell buckle and sign a deal that isn’t quite to his satisfaction? In theory, the running back could abstain from offseason activities and even reboot retirement talk in an effort to get the Steelers to cave and abide by the real extension deadline on July 16. - Demarcus Lawrence, DE, Cowboys: It has already been reported that the Cowboys will go ahead and tag Lawrence to prevent him from reaching free agency. Once that happens, you can expect the cash-strapped Cowboys to get to work on an extension that will smooth out the $17.5MM cap hit for defensive ends. There won’t be much drama as to whether the Cowboys will or won’t tag Lawrence, but the subsequent multi-year negotiations will be interesting to watch. Lawrence had a rocky first three seasons in the NFL, but he stepped up big in his contract year with 14.5 sacks. The Cowboys must be willing to pay Lawrence like a top DE, but they may insist on protections like an easy escape hatch or heavy roster bonuses in the event that he is injured or suspended.
Strong Candidates:
- Sammy Watkins, WR, Rams: As our own Micah Powell explained on Sunday, Watkins is a candidate for the tag with mutual interest on both sides in continuing their union. Committing major dollars to Watkins is dicey, however, given his injury history and his somewhat disappointing stat line in 2017. If the Rams let Watkins hit the open market, they’ll risk losing him to other teams with more wiggle room under the salary cap. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. And in a weak crop of free agent wide receivers, Watkins could clean up and leave the Rams without an obvious replacement.
- Allen Robinson, WR, Jaguars: Tagging Watkins will be a tough call for the Rams and the Jaguars have a similarly difficult decision to make when it comes to Robinson. Robinson played only three snaps in 2017 before going down with a torn ACL and he didn’t set the world on fire in 2016. However, his 2015 performance – 80 catches, 1,400 yards, and a league-leading 14 touchdowns – makes it hard for Jacksonville to let him walk. In theory, the Jaguars could re-sign fellow free agent Marqise Lee and let Robinson go, but Robinson is clearly the more talented of the two and one could argue that Lee’s late-season emergence was fueled by advantageous matchups. It’ll be pricey, but the Jaguars are suddenly in position to win and they can’t afford to let one of their best weapons bolt.
Toss Up:
- Kyle Fuller, CB, Bears: Frankly, I’m conflicted on this one. I’m sure Bears GM Ryan Pace can relate. Fuller turned in a strong rookie campaign and an excellent contract year, but he was a victim of the sophomore jinx and an unfortunate knee injury which cost him his entire season as an NFL junior. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com hears that Fuller will not be with the Bears this year. But, considering that Fuller graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 22 ranked cornerback and the position is already a major area of need for the team, the Bears have to at least think about tagging him for $14.88MM.
- Ezekiel Ansah, DE, Lions: Ansah has performed pretty well over the last two seasons, despite playing through some serious pain. The Lions probably aren’t thrilled about extending a one-year, $17.5MM tender to Ansah, but pressure generating edge rushers like him are at a premium. Consider this: Ansah tallied 12 sacks last year despite knee, ankle, and back ailments. Only seven players topped that total: Chandler Jones, Calais Campbell, DeMarcus Lawrence, Everson Griffen, Cam Jordan, Ryan Kerrigan, and Joey Bosa.
- Case Keenum, QB, Vikings: Is one year as an elite quarterback enough to justify the franchise tag? Maybe, but the Vikings have options at their disposal, including two other pending free agents already on the roster. If the Vikings can’t retain Keenum or Bradford or Bridgewater with a reasonable multi-year deal between now and free agency, they can use their mountain of cap space to get involved in the Cousins sweepstakes.
- Sheldon Richardson, DT, Seahawks: The Jets had both Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson under contract, but they could only afford to pay one of the two defensive linemen. Clearly, they chose wrong. For all of the headaches that Richardson gave the team, the five-year, $86MM deal given to Wilkerson wound up being a monumental mistake and will continue to be an albatross for the Jets even after they cut him this offseason. The Seahawks gave up a second-round choice and wide receiver Jermaine Kearse to get Richardson – will they make the same mistake and let him get away? Perhaps not, but it would also be a major gamble to tag him at $14.5MM with limited cap space and other holes to address. The best course of action here may be to try and work out a fresh deal without the franchise tag as a floor for Richardson’s camp. If that fails and the two sides can’t come to terms, the Seahawks can at least collect a 2019 compensatory pick.
Lawrence Tag Won't Come This Week
- The Cowboys have reportedly expressed they will slap a franchise tag on free agent-to-be Demarcus Lawrence, but Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram believes the team will look to work out a long-term deal within the two-week window before it’s forced to designate its tag. A tag will not come before next week, Hill reports. Hill points to Dez Bryant, whom the team tagged in 2015 but worked out a long-term deal with prior to the season. The franchise tag for defensive ends is expected to be in the neighborhood of $17.5MM for the upcoming season.
- Hill also correlates Lawrence’s contract situation to the Cowboys’ plans for defensive tackle David Irving, who’s set to become a restricted free agent. The Cowboys have approximately $19MM in cap space, according to Hill, and a second-round tender for Irving plus a tag for Lawrence would consume nearly all of Dallas’ cap space. Hill notes this could lead to the restructuring of contracts for players such as Travis Frederick and Tyron Smith and Sean Lee.